"Korea was too strong," Vietnam experts acknowledge overwhelming power gap... "Four-goal difference shows class disparity; conceding goals was just a matter of time"

*This content was translated by AI.

Vietnam's local media acknowledged South Korea's overwhelming strength. Regarding the 0-4 defeat, evaluations were made stating it was "a match where the class difference between the two teams was clearly revealed."

The South Korean U-23 national football team, led by coach Lee Min-seong, secured a decisive 4-0 victory against Vietnam in the men's football quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 25th at Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium in Nagoya, Japan.

South Korea saw Lee Young-jun (Grasshopper) score multiple goals, while Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) and Kim Myung-jun (KRC Genk) also joined the scoring attack.

In particular, Lee Young-jun's performance, making his first start in this tournament, shone brightly.

Lee Young-jun, who joined the national team late due to his club schedule, connected a cross arriving from the right flank in the 15th minute of the first half with a precise header to score the opening goal.

His presence continued into the second half. In the 30th minute of the second half, Lee Young-jun headed down a ball from a corner kick situation; Shin Min-ha (Kangwon) shot it, and after hitting the defense, Kim Ji-soo pushed it in to make it 2-0.

Lee Young-jun scored another goal directly in the 36th minute of the second half, completing his multi-goal performance. In the final moments of the match, substitute Kim Myung-jun scored the fourth goal, putting a period on the decisive 4-0 victory.

With this win, South Korea advanced to the semifinals and continued its bid for the first-ever four consecutive Asian Games titles in history.

Having won gold medals in three consecutive tournaments starting from the 2014 Incheon Games, followed by the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and the 2023 Hangzhou Games (held in 2022), South Korea now needs only two more victories to achieve a four-peat.

Vietnam's local media also acknowledged South Korea's overwhelming performance.

The Vietnamese media outlet 'Tuoi Tre' reported on the post-match evaluation by local football expert Doan Minh Tuong, stating it was "a match where the class difference between the two teams was clearly revealed."

Doan Minh Tuong firmly stated that "the 0-4 defeat directly reflected the overwhelming class difference of South Korea's U23 team."

He continued, "South Korea currently has many players playing in Europe, and four players who participated in the 2026 World Cup are on the roster. Among them, three are players over 23 years old," he explained.

He then emphasized that "it was only a matter of time before Vietnam conceded goals against South Korea with such a player lineup."

Indeed, South Korea fielded a large number of European-based players as starters. Lee Young-jun played at the forefront, while Yang Min-hyeok (Westerlo), Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca), and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) were deployed in the second line.

Vietnam did shake South Korea's goal net once during the first half, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside call.

Regarding this as well, Doan Minh Tuong's evaluation was cool-headed.

He said, "If that goal had been recognized, it would have brought joy to Vietnamese players and fans, but it would not have completely changed the flow of the match against South Korea."

He added, "While Vietnam created scenes threatening South Korea's goal, they did not create a very significant threat overall."

He viewed that the gap widened further in the second half as no coincidence.

Doan Minh Tuong analyzed, "When facing a strong opponent who continues to press, stamina is consumed as time passes," noting, "Although South Korea was only down 0-1 in the first half, this explains why they conceded goals consecutively in the final moments of the second half."

Doan Minh Tuong continued with an objective evaluation. He stated, "Overall, it was a match with a significant power gap. South Korea had sufficient qualification to win," and added, "Vietnam did their best, but due to the class difference, defeat was a natural result."

He then acknowledged, "In the end, the stronger team won, leaving no room for controversy."

Another Vietnamese media outlet 'Thanh Nien' also stated that despite the 4th-goal defeat, "Vietnamese players cannot be blamed," citing South Korea's superior power as the biggest reason for the loss.

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*This content was translated by AI.